PLANET OF DESIRE II
THE SPERM WARS
Chapter 26
"There Are More Things..."
There came a timid knock at the door. "Sir?" came Linus' voice
faintly.
"You can come in." Ivan said.
"The Council is ready for you, now, sir."
"Be right there." Ivan squared his shoulders and marched out.
Stepwith was there in his stance at the top of the podium.
Ivan ignored the alien, stepped up to the Council. "Have you made a
decision?" he asked them. "Are you ready now to talk?"
Defiant faces met his and before they could say a word, Ivan knew the
answer. "The Council has decided that...."
Ivan cut him off and snarled in the rage of pain and frustration.
"The Council be damned! Connobar be damned! And as for you!" he turned to
the octopoid alien and strode up to the small form, determined that this
alien would die at his hands regardless of the cost. He wondered vaguely
at the back of his mind if he'd die with each step toward the alien with
its incomprehensible power, whether a force field would block him, a
lightning bolt would burn him down, or that the alien would simply vanish
from his sight. He didn't care, anymore.
None of these things happened and he stepped right up to the alien and
looked down into its startlingly human eyes. "Haven't you finished with
your games yet? Have enough of my people died yet, or are you still bored?
Need to watch more people die, like my son did this very morning?" Ivan
was aware of flashes of light overhead, like the shifting colors of a
televisor screen playing over the watcher though the display is not in
sight. These lights played over him, red and white and angry in colors.
He suddenly realized that this display device was showing his own thoughts
to the Connobarans. And his thoughts were ugly, of the wars he had seen,
the deaths he had witnessed, and his own visions of strangling the alien's
life from its body.
Something inside of Ivan let him regain control, and he stopped, said,
"I swear this to you right now, that the next death in this war will be
either yours, or my own. You cannot be a watcher any more. Either kill
me, or die yourself. Which will it be?" Ivan waited, and then said, "Very
well."
As his hands reached for the alien, to find a soft spot and squeeze
and press inwards until whatever this alien used for blood poured over his
arms, as he moved like that, there came a voice from overhead. "The test
is over."
"Another of your damned television images?" Ivan said, enraged.
"No more images, Ivan Paskov of Earth. No more games. No more tests.
You have won for your people."
"Won what?" Ivan said, stepping back.
"Won the lives of your species. It was necessary for me to determine
if your kind would one day rise to pose a threat to my own. For that
reason, I brought you and others of your kind here, in order that on this
day, you and I would stand here like this and I could determine the degree
of the threat. And the test was only that I brought you here, nothing
more. Everything that happened here was the choice of your people, and of
the Connobarans. I did not interfere and I did not assist."
"You gave them our valley." Ivan said. "I've heard that so many times
I'm ready to vomit at the sound of it."
"I gave them nothing."
"They say you gave our valley to them, our people, our lives, to be
brought here and forced to give them children."
"I gave them nothing. I told them that they could enter your valley,
something I had always forbidden them before. I raised the Connobarans
from infancy directly and guided them to where they could care for
themselves, then let them be. I had to know how much of human behavior was
learned, and how much welled from within. Your people are violent, and
they always strive to possess more than they are due. This is a part of
your nature and you must accept that. When two strive to possess the same
thing, then you have your wars. There will be many more wars."
"More? They'll never stop?" Ivan said.
"Not for many more millennia, when your people advance to the next
level of existence, the level just below my own."
"My son died this morning." Ivan said. "A child, an innocent, died
because the Connobarans used one of your creations as a weapon."
"That is true. The death of innocents is always an integral part of
your wars. But it is also your greatest hope."
"How?"
"Because your wars do this, because they are so terrible to you,
because they consume all that they touch, your people have also learned to
negotiate and thus avoid war. Other species, with different bodies and
different conditions, do not have this benefit and are beyond my help. I
can only destroy them quickly and cleanly before they damage other species
that have the chance for advancement."
"So mankind has passed your test." Ivan said. "And it only cost the
life of my son to pass it."
"His and the others like him." the alien agreed. "I shall not
interfere any more. I will leave this planet to you and choose another to
continue my work. From now on, this world is yours. You can even leave it
now, if you choose."
"I want to kill all the Connobarans right now. I want to blast this
valley down to the very bedrock so that nothing will ever live or grow here
again."
"That is your choice." the alien said quietly. "As it has always
been."
"Get involved one last time. Tell the Connobarans that you did not
give them our valley as a gift to them." Ivan said. "I'll settle for that.
Mikhy's death can mean something if it ends this war today."
"I have already told them, as have you." And the alien DID vanish
then, without a sound or a flash of light, not even a motion. Stepwith was
gone, and Ivan felt then that this odd alien had indeed left the planet of
Desire completely.
Ivan turned and looked at the Connobarans. "Well?" He said to them.
"We will send out our messengers right now to tell our men to return
to our valley." the main Councilman said. "Won't you please sit down and
we will...negotiate a way that both our people can survive?"
Ivan smiled without humor. "I would be happy to do that. But first,
let me call my people to send the Angels here. We'll get your messengers
to our valley within the next hour. Just tell your messengers to be
prepared to fly through the air."
As he finished his call to Colonel Slayton with the news of their
success, he could swear for a moment he felt Mikhy's arms wrap around him
and feel a kiss on his cheek, but when he reached up to touch his face,
nothing was there. Mikhy, my child, he silently said to himself and
hopefully to his son's spirit, safe journey and good luck. I will miss you
very much. And with the war concluded, his people safe, their future
assured, Ivan finally gave himself over to his grief for his lost child.
*****
It took Ivan and the Council another three days, interrupted for one
of the days as Ivan went home for his son's funeral. But on that third day,
as evening began to fall, dimming the jungle and tilled ground of the two
valleys, Ivan flew through the air in Angen's arms, glad that his sole real
friend among the Angels had come to pick him up personally to return him to
his family and farm he had left so long ago. And this time, he was going
home for good.
"So the war is over, my turtle friend?" Angen asked as they climbed
with his wings over the mountain between Connobar and his own valley of
Facilitata (for the negotiations, Ivan had needed a name for his valley,
and in desperation had chosen this one).
"Yes. The Connobarans are leaving our valley. With them go half the
seeds for the eggs, and half stay for our own use. Though I don't know
what good that will do. The Connobaran Council says that the eggs won't
let Facilitators create more Facilitators. Two Facilitators get together,
and the result is a Connobaran-type human. And they have tried four
Connobarans in the past, long ago. No good, the egg can't handle it, it
aborts. So now that the Tree of Children is gone, unless we keep a steady
and increasing influx of people from off-planet, eventually our kind is
doomed. We may have to leave this world, though from what I have learned,
we're better off right here."
"What about the other human cultures on this world?" Angen asked.
"There are others?" Ivan asked, startled.
"Yes, of course. My people know of over twelve valleys inhabited by
humans, as well as several human nomadic tribes in the plains to the west
of here. Perhaps one of them would have your answer?"
"Maybe." Ivan's head swam with the thought of other cultures on
Desire. What else would he and his sons and grandsons face on this world?
How many more wars would they fight like this one just concluded? Better
start thinking right now how to deal with the Second Sperm War. Think of
how to defend the valley. Consult with the Connobarans and set up a mutual
defense pact. Reconcile with the Slan survivors, if any indeed did survive
the death of their main vessel. Probably best to figure out how to shut
off the force shield hiding their planet, then arrange for the ship of
Colonel Slayton to take them to a Slan world and drop them off there.
But then they'd have to face defending their world from any outside
incursions. And also think about whether it was better to bring women to
this world or leave things as they are. He could imagine the battles that
would be fought if only a few women were brought to his valley, so it'd
have to be a lot of them all at once. And would women even want to live on
a planet like theirs? Could they even survive the doses of the pink mist,
which was tailored to males only?
His head hurt tremendously all of a sudden. Too much to think about.
Ivan felt that he couldn't possibly live long enough to understand it all.
If he chose a different thought each day and strove to understand it before
the end of that day, still a hundred years would not be long enough.
"What are you thinking about, my turtle friend?" Angen asked.
Ivan said, "Too many things. My head is so full of thoughts, it
hurts."
"There is an answer for that." Angen said.
"What's that?"
"You'll see it, soon." Angen promised him. "Close your eyes for a
moment, my turtle friend."
"All right." Ivan closed his eyes and felt the gentlest bump as they
came in for a landing. He was lowered to the ground and said, "Can I open
my eyes now?"
"Only if you insist." Al's voice said behind him. Ivan sighed as the
strong arms enveloped his body, clutching tightly at his breasts, as his
husband's cock pressed against his buttocks. Ivan leaned his head back and
they kissed. Angen was right. All the thoughts shriveled down to nothing.
They were still there, but they would wait.
Al's fingers danced over his body in familiar strokes that touched his
every nerve and caressed his every sensitive point. Al knew his body so
well, could turn him on better than any of the other lovers he had had
since their last meeting. Ivan let Al remove his jumpsuit, deciding right
then to never wear the uniform again. From now on, he was a civilian and a
farmer, nothing more. As the jumpsuit slid off his body, Ivan felt the
ending to an entire way of life, a mode of existence. Let Earth slide into
the past where all things go, with all her wars and all her problems. Let
his life now be this planet only, this man holding him, this land beneath
his feet. From now on, the stars were only lights in the sky, unimportant
lights at that.
Ivan turned, shuffling in his clothing about his ankles, to match Al's
lips with his own and to kiss him fervently. Al grunted eagerly into his
mouth as they kissed and Ivan and Al together fumbled their last remaining
clothing off (Al wore nothing but a native wrap about his loins and it was
easily discarded and Ivan merely needed to shuffle out of his boots and
kick the jumpsuit to one side) and Ivan let Al lower him back to the
ground, to the rich earth that exuded the very scent of passion and desire,
to let their bodies be caressed by the never-ending pink mist that covered
their world, keeping even their fledling governments off-balance and
helpless. Al's body moved and stroked Ivan's, Al's hairy chest against
Ivan's own as they kissed, Al holding Ivan's hands over his head with his
own, keeping him in place partially by force as Al's long prong glided
hungrily over Ivan's abdomen, teasing and taunting him, until Ivan groaned
and lifted his legs over to embrace Al's waist, and Al chuckled into Ivan's
mouth and shifted so his knees to rest below Ivan's now-raised buttocks,
and Ivan felt the thick shaft pulsing as it slid across his own manhood,
leaving a slimy trail that moistened Ivan's balls and the thick meat found
Ivan's puckerhole and nudged insistently for entrance.
Ivan sighed happily and his ass worked in welcome as Al's cock had its
own homecoming into his bowels and settled in to make itself at home. Al
humped at Ivan with the old familiar vigor and Ivan heard the well-known
refrain of bass grunts in his ear as Al fucked him hard and fast, as usual.
"Oh, I'm sorry." came Colonel Slayton's voice and Ivan looked up with
glazed eyes. "I was wondering if you were home yet. I didn't mean to
intrude."
"No problem, Colonel." Ivan said, gasping. "Oh! Al and I are, uh,
just getting reacquainted."
"Why, don't, ya'll, go, in, side, Kuh, nel, and, make, yore, self, at
home?" Al grunted without slowing or missing a beat.
"Thank you, Private, don't mind if I do." Colonel Slayton said.
Al grinned and Ivan grinned back, wondering. As the door opened and
closed, Al paused and Ivan lifted his head, and they heard Colonel
Slayton's voice as he went, "Oof! Oh, hello there young fellow, you, oh,
now, wait a minute, son, I wasn't, uh! Mmm, damn it, boy, slow down, at
least let me get my clothes off, I, oof!"
"What's going on?"
"I think Jethro just found Colonel Slayton." Al grinned. "Jethro sort
of waits for Fortin to come home when he's away, and if you walk in, well,
Jethro sort of takes what he can get, you might say. I wonder if." Al
stopped in mid-sentence.
"Oh, God, kid, slow down, I, oh, oh, oh!"
"Yep! Kuhnel's getting his butt fucked raht now!" Al chuckled.
Ivan grinned. Being grabbed by a big blond hunk and ravished wasn't
the worst fate on this planet. "Speaking of which..." he reminded Al.
"Raht!" Al said and began to fuck Ivan again. Ivan enjoyed the grunts
of Al and the lesser sounds of Jethro and Colonel Slayton nearby. From the
sounds of it, Colonel Slayton was enjoying the thick tool that Jethro was
packing between his legs.
Ivan closed his eyes and kissed Al hard and felt his passion grow in a
warm pool in his stomach. Al began to hunch with a more insistent hunch to
his hips and Ivan, who knew his husband well, was able to time it almost to
the second when Al hit his orgasm and Ivan felt his ass being pumped full
of hot jism while Al groaned, dripping sweat from his brow onto Ivan's
face, Al's face softened by passion. Ivan looked with glazed eyes into the
eyes of the man he loved, though Al's eyes were squinched shut in passion,
and Ivan sighed, feeling his own orgasm creep up like a faithful old dog to
lie at his master's feet. Ivan's orgasm grew until it filled his body, he
felt a blush cover him from head to foot and Ivan groaned, and jetted his
stream into Al's hairy stomach above him, where it clung and dripped off in
thick clumps to fall on his body, to be mashed between them as Al finished
and fell gasping atop him.
Ivan nibbled contentedly at Al's ear as the lay in post-coital
embrace. Finally, he sighed, and said, "I really am happy to be home
again. What did the Connobaran forces leave intact in our home."
"Almost nothing." Al admitted. "But we're putting things back
together again, and their men are bringing things back every day. They
have to pass by and I guess it was part of the agreement that they put
everything back the way it was?"
"Not that I know of, and I drafted the peace settlement." Ivan said.
"But it's a nice gesture. The Connobarans are nice people, really. It
won't be too bad living next to their pass."
"Wonder how many of their men are going to be knocking on our door,
looking for children?"
"The terms are that every Facilitator, that's the name of all of us,
now, by the way, every Facilitator has to help a Connobaran upon request,
unless he can produce ten chits to prove that he has done his duty to
Connobar. The Connobarans are each issued a chit before entering their
side of the pass, which they have to give us before we fertilize their egg
for them. Whether we produce the chits to show them is entirely up to each
of us so if you have ten chits and still want to help them out, you can go
right ahead. I hope you want a lot of children, Al, because as you pointed
out, we're right on the route these men are going to be taking."
Al considered it. "A lot of cute young men coming by and begging me
for sex? I guess I can live with it if I have to. Hope they'll help with
the farming, though, during harvest season."
"I'm sure they will." Ivan chuckled. "I collected ten chits for
myself for my single day of sexual hell as their Facilitator. I'll keep
them in our room and you can produce them for your own if you ever need to.
Let's get indoors."
Ivan walked in and saw Colonel Slayton, dressed but with clothing
pulled down and pushed askew, with Jethro lying atop him, Jethro's cock
still imbedded in his ass. "Good evening again, Colonel." he said.
"Good evening." Colonel Slayton looked up. "Does he ever get tired?"
For Jethro was beginning to hunch at Slayton's butt again.
"Afraid not." Ivan grinned. "But we'll pull him off of you if you're
tired of him."
"Not just yet." Colonel Slayton admitted, shifting to give Jethro a
different angle. Finding it, he closed his eyes and sighed deeply, then
said, "He's kind of handy to have around, isn't he? Where's that young
fellow who had adopted him?"
"I was wondering that myself." Ivan said, looking at Al.
"Fortin and David both took those snakes that won't let go." Al said.
"They're still at Marine with Lukas, and Gregory and Pieter, waiting for
the snakes to get tired and fall off. Connobarans say they'll let go after
about a month, sometimes less. So they're hanging around Marine, so the
snakes will go into the water after they let go. Don't want those things
clinging about the jungle, you know."
"Agreed." Ivan said. "What about the children?"
"Pavel is with James visiting neighbors. I wanted you all to myself
tonight. Except that Osgood hasn't been feeling well so I let him stay in
his room. I'd better check on him. He's getting close to his puberty, you
know. I caught a grunkel just this morning and locked him in the pen."
"Fine." Ivan said. "So I guess I'll cook some supper for us." Al was
no cook, though he would produce vaguely edible items on request. He
didn't refuse the duty, just didn't have any knack for it. He was slightly
disappointed his entire family wasn't around him, but they were all safe,
and that was a comfort.
"Ivan!" Al's call came when Ivan had just put a pot on their stove and
was about to build a fire..
"Yes, dear!"
"Fetch the grunkel for me. Now!"
"All right, honey. Don't worry, everything will be fine." Ivan said.
He stepped over Jethro's feet as Jethro hunched Colonel Slayton with fierce
intensity once again.
Just another ordinary evening on the planet of Desire. It felt good
to be home again.
Al met David coming in the door, Gregory in his arms. "Hello." Ivan
said. "Where's Lukas?"
"Still with Fortin. I got free a few hours ago." David said. "I'm
pretty exhausted, but I'll survive."
"You should try being a disobedient Facilitator for a while." Ivan
said with feeling. "We'll compare notes later. Osgood's hit puberty and I
have to fetch the grunkel."
"I'll go with you. Gregory's asleep." David adjusted the travel sling
holding Gregory and they went out to the grunkel pen.
"Well, David, everything is getting back to normal again. You may
remember that all this happened because you asked where the grunkels go."
Ivan said jocularly. "Now we know."
"Yes." David said. "That only leaves one more question left to answer
about this planet."
"Do me a favor." Ivan said as he slipped the leash over the suddenly
eager grunkel. "Never say that question to me for as long as you live.
I'm happy with things the way they are right now, all right?"
David looked at him and smiled. "All right."
THE END
Author's Note: I fully intend to do at least one more series in this
universe, but I need a good long break for now. With any luck, I'll start
a series on a completely new storyline next week, but won't be putting it
on the Nifty Archives immediately. Don't despair! You can find it and
future Planet stories on my webpage, which you can find at my Link on the
Nifty Archives' Link page.